We Are The Champions

It is our last and final day on the trip and it is jam packed! 


We started our day with a bus tour of Amsterdam, with our first stop being a family owned cheese farm in Holland. We toured their facilities and learned what the process of making cheese is. I had no idea how long it took!! Also, this little family is one of three in Holland that make handmade wooden clogs. They are kinda funny looking things, but they take a lot of time to make them. I don't think I would ever wear them out, but if I wanted to they would customize them for me! Ha! 

After that stop we continued on our bus tour of Amsterdam. Amsterdam is very modern and new. The architecture of the city is quite contemporary with very rigid designs. I would recommend that if you are an architecture major then you should put Amsterdam on your list of places to see. ​

On the tour I learned a lot about the real estate in Amsterdam and the process of getting an apartment. (Our guide kept finding herself back on this topic) I honestly went into Amsterdam with very low expectations due to all the negative things I had heard about the city, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. 

Later in the afternoon we visited the Van Gogh Museum. I love Van Gogh. He is a true colorist in the history of art. The majority of the paintings that he has done he has started with the three primary colors.  He mixes them to make the colors he uses in his paintings. I love how he uses color as an overarching theme throughout the series of his work. He chooses to paint in the same color families, which was very different for his time. My favorite painting of his is when he was in his emphasis in Asian art and paintings and his series of the cherry blossom and peach trees. I enjoy how he uses light strokes and emphasizes light through his painting techniques. Today, Van Gogh is seen as a famous and praised artist. But during his time he was critically judged on his process and his art. It was considered way too modern for the time and his practice was unconventional and therefore wrong. This just shows that sometimes being different is a great thing. Just because you aren't on the same path as every one else doesn't mean you are wrong. You are just headed towards a different adventure.  
That evening we had some free time and I chose to spend it sitting in the park with some friends. We watched the street performers and the people walk by with their dogs. And I even won a soccer competition and got a free jersey! I was quite shocked! If you know me at all, you know that my athleticism isn't incredibly impressive by any means. 

We finished the day up with dinner and a visit to the Anne Frank house. That was a sobering experience. I could not even imagine what it would be like to be trapped for so long and so close to freedom and then in a matter of moments your life being over. It is heartbreaking. 

My friends and I wandered around Amsterdam for a little while after, just enjoying each others company and reliving the memories that we ha made in the past couple of weeks. It was a wonderful day, indeed. 

This closes up my last blog in Europe. Though these adventures are coming to an end, there are many more yet to be found. Stay tuned.

xoxo,
Claire Marie